Sometimes, when we watch a particular player, we instinctively understand that a transcendent talent is at work. We know that the guy standing on the field in front of us is special, someone that we will tell our grandkids about. Someone who will undoubtedly enter the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and go down in annals of the game as one of the greats.
Other times, we don’t know. We think we are just watching a great player and he turns out to be a HoFer; a borderline guy who gets enshrined but not remembered.
Today, I’ve put together a definitive list of the 10 active players that have a shot at one day making the Hall.
I’ve left off guys who’ve got the talent but not (at least yet) the longevity, like Robinson Cano. Those guys are too far off; too much has yet to happen, rendering a Cooperstown projection premature.
For the guys that did make the cut, I’ve devised a ranking system which will henceforth be referred to as the “Off The Bench Hall of Fame Star-o-Meter.” The system is simple: 5 stars denote a lock for the Hall, first ballot guys; 4 stars indicate a likely induction, but whichever way the voting goes, there will be some debate and some who disagree; 3 stars means the player is on track for the Hall, but needs quite a few more productive seasons to bolster their candidacy; 2 and 1 star ratings mean that any HoF talk is premature. No 1 or 2 star players made this list.
So, without further ado, the Top 10 Active Hall of Famers:
Mariano Rivera: Mo is the best relief pitcher of all time. He is the best closer of all time. He is the all time saves leader, and has better average —and cumulative–postseason statistics than many players have in their entire careers. His induction into the Hall of Fame is foregone conclusion. Off The Bench Hall of Fame Star-o-Meter Rating: * * * * *
Chipper Jones: Chipper is currently engaged in a year long farewell tour masquerading as a baseball season. At every stadium he goes to, he is given a standing ovation from the fans and a gift from the team. A “thank you for no longer beating the crap out of us present,” if you will. Even now, with his knees in terrible shape, his skills diminished, and his playing time sporadic, he is batting .302. He is arguably the second best third basemen of all time. Off The Bench Hall of Fame Star-o-Meter Rating: * * * * *
Derek Jeter: Jeter is fast making a case as the best shortstop since Honus Wagner. He’s got at least 3,000 hits and 250 homers to go along with his 13 All-Star selections. If he continues his current pace, he will have led the AL in hits 13 years apart. Thanks to his recent resurgence, he now has an outside shot at Pete Rose’s all time hits record. Five years after his retirement, Jeter will be another example of how messed up the Hall of Fame voting process is when he doesn’t receive 100% of the vote. (Really, Rivera will be an example of that too). Off The Bench Hall of Fame Star-o-Meter Rating: * * * * *
Albert Pujols: With his current contract, it’s a pretty safe bet that Pujols will play for at least another 10 years, but even if he retired today, Prince Albert would make the Hall. Pujols is a three time MVP and four time MVP runner up in only 11 seasons. He’s never finished lower in the MVP voting than ninth and his rookie season he finished 4th while winning the Rookie of the Year award. The first 10 years of Albert’s career are quite possibly the best in baseball history. At only 32 years old (probably), he has 473 homers, more than 2200 hits and a .325 BA. Off The Bench Hall of Fame Star-o-Meter Rating: * * * * *
Alex Rodriguez: A-Rod would be a 5 star player if not for his PED admission. The three time MVP is without question the greatest offensive shortstop ever. He has 644 home runs and has been the recipient of two of the three largest contracts in baseball history. Lately, however, Rodriguez has been bad. He is now dramatically over-payed and could be a potential liability for the Yankees going forward. No matter what he does for the rest of his career, it will be the PED issue and not the stats that post him the only threat to induction at Cooperstown. Off The Bench Hall of Fame Star-o-Meter Rating: * * * *
Jim Thome: For generations, hitting 500 home runs made you a lock for the Hall. Since there are no PED rumors surrounding Jim, the fact that he has 611 should get him in. There’s not too much else to say about Thome. He hit a lot of home runs for a lot of years. Off The Bench Hall of Fame Star-o-Meter Rating: * * * *
Ichiro Suzuki: Ichiro was arguably the best player in baseball from 2001 (when he won both the MVP and ROY) until 2010. He has over 3000 professional hits, but less than 2600 in the Major Leagues. He is, however, a career .322 hitter who made the All-Star game and won a Gold Glove in each of his first 10 big league seasons. The only knock on Ichiro will be the Japan/MLB split. Off The Bench Hall of Fame Star-o-Meter Rating: * * * *
Todd Helton: For most of his 16 year career, Helton flew under the radar, largely thanks to the Colorado Rockies uniform he wore for the duration. However, he is one of the best players of the generation. In 2000, he flirted with .400 deep into the season en route to a .372 AVG and a batting title. He is a career .320 hitter over an impressive 16 seasons, until recently as the face of the same franchise. His candidacy is very similar to that of Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken. All deserving Hall of Famers. Off The Bench Hall of Fame Star-o-Meter Rating: * * * *
CC Sabathia: CC is the quintessential 3 star candidate. He’s the only active pitcher with a chance at 300 wins. A former Cy Young award winner, he’s has been the Ace of every team he’s ever played for. He has shown the ability to put a team on his back and win big games. If CC, who is only 31, can stay healthy and win 120 more games, he’s in. Off The Bench Hall of Fame Star-o-Meter Rating: * * *
Andruw Jones: I had a good deal of trouble deciding between Jones and Justin Verlander for this last spot. The two are very different candidates. Jones is a ‘body of work’ type guy who could very well finish with considerably more than 20 seasons under his belt, about 10 of them as the game’s best center fielder. Verlander is a high ceiling guy coming off one of the best seasons by a pitcher, ever. In the end, Jones gets the nod even though the tail of his career has been so long, and, until recently, so bad, that it might hurt his chances. Off The Bench Hall of Fame Star-o-Meter Rating: * * *
-Max Frankel
Stat of the Day: The Dodgers lost 10-0 in Josh Beckett’s debut
